Snapchat's new maps feature shows you where your friends are

The INSIDER Summary:

On Wednesday, Snapchat released a new feature called Snap Map that lets you share your location with your friends.

You can also see photos, videos, and breaking news from specific locations around the world.

To use the feature, pinch out on Snapchat's main camera screen.

Snapchat is expanding into the world of mapping.

A new feature announced on Wednesday called Snap Map will let the app's 166 million users share their locations with each other, according to a company blog post.

A trailer for the feature shows two women browsing a map in Snapchat and tapping on a nearby location to see friends sharing videos from an ongoing concert.

Beyond the friend-finding capability, adding maps opens up new advertising opportunities for Snap. Users will also be able to browse photos and videos from specific locations around the world, including breaking news events. The new maps view is accessible by pinching out from Snapchat's main camera.

Snap

"In a lot of ways, we're taking what a map is and turning it upside down," Snap product designer Jack Brody told Refinery29 about the update. "This map isn't about where am I, it's about where are my friends and what are they up to? It's not about figuring out how to get to your destination, but about discovering where you want to go."